Studying hospitality, tourism and events management at the University of Plymouth will reveal a wide range of career opportunities that are open to you. You could consider working within the hospitality industry in a variety of settings; restaurants, bars, hotels, public houses, music venues, airlines and conference centres. Your degree will help you to recognise service needs through numerous environments and these insights highlight the level of responsibility required. Restaurant manager, hotel executive, events planner and catering manager are some of the most obvious roles out there, and with a willingness to learn, it is not uncommon to see progression from supervisor to manager quite early in your career.
Tourism can offer up lots of interesting pathways due to its varying sub-industries related to travel. From tour management to tourist information services, passenger transport to heritage work, theme parks to national parks, you could find yourself working across the board of this diverse industry. Indeed, hospitality and tourism are global industries, so there is also an advantage in learning a second language, which could take you to many different countries and locations!
During your tourism and hospitality management degree, you will learn about the role of the consumer, guest relations, operation strategy and how service products are developed for these consumers. This could therefore mean considering other paths such as human resources (HR) and business, marketing and public relations, or a role within the teaching and education sector.
Since specific career paths may be less obvious it is important to use your research skills to explore the range of opportunities and to consider your personal interests, motivations, values and strengths.
Researching your career options
Given the diversity of career options open to graduates, it is important to research and explore these fully so that you can make informed decisions about your future. Keep an open mind and consider the wealth of skills you can offer.
The following websites provide helpful information on options with a hospitality and tourism degree:
Employment opportunities
Below is a snapshot of what some of University of Plymouth hospitality, tourism and events management graduates told us they were doing 15 months after graduation. For some graduates, these jobs serve as ‘stepping stones’ to professional posts by providing relevant workplace experience.
- Head of Business and Admin
- Company Director
- Graduate Manager
- Marketing Executive
- Operations Graduate
- Property Manager
- Trainee Accountant
- Commercial Sales Consultant
- Research Executive
Employers
- 4 Insight
- Amaris Hospitality
- Aurora
- Baxter Storey
- BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions
- Cherished Cottages
- Condor Ferries
- Jurys Inn
- Manor House Hotel and Golf Club
- Marks and Spencer
- Marriott
- NHS
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- On the Waterfront
- Stonegate Group
- Thurlestone Hotel
- UCSP Ltd
- University of Bristol
*Data is from the Graduate Outcomes Surveys of 2017/18 and 2018/19. Graduates were surveyed 15 months after graduating. Data displayed is for 29 UK-domiciled, first degree, full-time graduates who are working, studying or looking for work.